Monday wrap: Stormy weather pushes East

A cold frontal boundary has extended from the Southeast to the eastern portion of the Great Lakes today, while an arctic air mass has continued to linger over the Intermountain West, the northern Plains and the upper Midwest.

A cold front has driven showers and thunderstorms across a handful of states in the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic today as the front interacted with a warm air mass along the Gulf of Mexico. The strongest showers and thunderstorms have hit Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.

Franklin, N.C., has reported a midday total of 1.92 inches of rain, while Cartersville, Ga., has reported a midday total of 1.72 inches of rain. Meanwhile, snow has fallen across parts of New England due to a low pressure system off of the coast of Massachusetts. Millinocket, Maine, has reported a midday total of 1.50 inches of snow, while Bridgton, Maine, has reported a midday total of 1.30 inches of snow.

An arctic air mass has continued to funnel southward across the upper Midwest, the northern Plains and the Intermountain West as wind chill advisories have been issued across several states. Yellowstone, Wyo., has recorded a morning low of -27 degrees with a windchill factor of -39, while Driggs, Idaho, has recorded a morning low of -27 with a windchill factor of -43.

A ridge of high pressure has kept the West Coast clear of precipitation today, while cold temperatures have triggered hard freeze warnings across the Central Valley of California and the desert Southwest.

ON THIS DATE....... Official records tell us that the last time two tropical storms formed in the Atlantic in December was 1887. That stretch was broken in 2003 on this date when Tropical Storm Peter became the 16th named storm of the year and the second named storm of December.